Nitros topped in opener

SOUTHEAST GLENDALE — The Burbank High football team saw a pretty good thing working for itself Thursday night, as it amassed rushing yards at will.

So rather than tinkering with other scoring options, like passing, the Bulldogs continued to pound the ball all night to the tune of a 56-21 Pacific League-opening win against visiting Glendale at Moyse Stadium.

The field is located on the campus of Glendale High, but Burbank played like it was on its own.

The Bulldogs (2-2, 1-0 league) amassed a 232-53 rushing-yards advantage at halftime, along with a 28-7 lead, and never looked back.

Burbank finished with an overall 428-81 advantage in rushing yards.

Quortney Brazier, Austin Mowatt and Alex Buenviaje led the way for Burbank.

Brazier scored a pair of touchdowns and collected 159 yards on 10 carries. Mowatt scored twice on running plays (45 and 5 yards) and once on a 37-yard strike to Bryan Lainez. And Buenviaje tallied 31 yards on five carries and a scoring run.

“That’s what we’re shooting for,” Bulldogs Coach Hector Valencia said of those backs. “With a three-back set, you don’t know which running back is going to get the ball.

“We didn’t want to pass much; We passed when we had to. But if our running game works, why pass, right?”

Glendale (1-3, 0-1) was in it in the opening quarter, when it countered Burbank’s touchdown by Brazier (and ensuing missed extra-point kick) with a 79-yard scoring pass from Evan Norton to Michael Davis to take a 7-6 lead with 8:19 left in the period.

The Bulldogs regained the lead on a 26-yard run by Brazier and then a 43-yard run by Mowatt to take a 20-7 lead with 9:36 to play before halftime.

That’s when Glendale missed a golden opportunity to slice the deficit.

The Nitros got three first downs to get a first-and-10 from the opposing 13-yard line. But Alex Yoon fumbled the ball on his way to the end zone and Brazier recovered and returned it to Glendale’s 15.

“I think that was the changing point for them and us,” Valencia said. “After that, our defense stepped up and regrouped and we took control of the game.

“We had a lot of respect for them coming to the game, and we just kept our cool knowing that we were going to score our points while our defense did its job.”

Twelve players later, Buenvaije scored on a five-yard run down the middle and the Bulldogs pushed ahead, 28-7, after Teddy Arlington converted on the two-point run.

Norton completed 14 of 24 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns for Glendale. Alex Yoon picked up 29 yards on nine carries and a touchdown. And Davis collected 210 receiving yards on eight catches and two touchdowns.

The Bulldogs’ Joseph Anbarchian picked up 40 rushing yards on six carries, all the second half, including a five-yard run to cap the scoring onslaught with 7:41 left to play.

Burbank’s DeAndre Davis also returned a kickoff for 90 yards.

Brazier completed three of five passes for 51 yards.